EMS (Emergency medical services) workers provide immediate pre-hospital medical care to the sick or injured patients during emergency situations such as natural disasters, accidents, in-home health failures etc. Their responsibilities include responding to emergency calls, assessing patients’ condition, lifting patients and equipment, administering oxygen, providing out-of-hospital acute medical care, transporting patients to medical facilities, using backboards for safe transport, reporting their observations on patients’ health status to the medical staff, offering emotional support to patients and their family members so on and so forth.
EMS Workers work at different environments such as trauma care centers, ambulance services, fire service, government agencies, public or private hospitals, charity service etc. They have to work round the clock in shift wise including weekends and holidays. These professionals are feared to be injured by mentally unstable or combative patients.
Educational Requirements
To qualify for the position of an EMS Worker, the aspiring candidates have to a complete a two-year associate’s degree and a basic training program in the field of EMS management. The training program, which takes around one year to complete, is offered by various community colleges. The syllabus includes EMS administration, field equipment, disaster management, pharmacology, patient assessments and emergency care.
Certification and Licensure
Since an EMS Worker requires to be licensed in all the states, the aspiring candidates have to earn an exam-based License. The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) offers exam- based certification to these professionals.
Skill Set
In addition to clinical knowledge, EMS Workers posses varieties of traits such as a great deal of knowledge in life support, ability to act quickly and accurately, excellent crisis management skills, strong critical thinking skills, empathy towards patients, good listening abilities, effective communications and interpersonal skills, ability to work under strenuous and stressful situation, high level of physical fitness for continuous bending, lifting, and kneeling etc.
Job Outlook and Salary
The job outlook for an EMS Worker remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise 23% during 2012-2022. The average annual salary of an EMS Worker was $31,020 in May 2013.